Clubs 'fail player health'

3rd July 2007

A study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine has claimed that poorer sports clubs are less likely to carry out full health checks on players.

The research covered 65 clubs from the football Premiership and Championship, rugby union and rugby league and county cricket teams. Almost 90% of the soccer and 50% of the rugby union Premiership clubs recorded pre-employment medical histories but fewer than half of the cricket and rugby union division one clubs did.

Researchers said there appeared to be a relationship between a club’s wealth and the amount it was able to invest in health checks.